Clean Eating Chicken Stock

I’m not one to waste food these days, so I instantly put the “throw away” parts of the chicken to work for me.

There’s just nothing like homemade chicken stock. It serves so many purposes. From soup bases to flavoring cooked grains and stews, chicken stock is a must have in any clean eating kitchen. Here’s how to make it.

Clean Eating Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

Directions:

After you’ve removed all the edible parts of your chicken, put everything else in a very large stock pot.

Add approximately 20 cups of water to the pot.

Then go into your refrigerator and find any veggies that would typically go well in soup. For me, that was onions, carrots and celery. But you can also use greens such as carrot tops. Any veggie that will give the broth flavor will work.

Add your herbs and spices and set the pot to boil. Boil with the lid on for the first hour. Then remove the lid, and allow the stock to cook down until it achieves the strength of flavor you enjoy (I taste it about every 45-60 minutes).

Allow the pot to cool, and place in the fridge over night.

Skim off any fat that has risen to the top.

Drain the entire contents of the pot through a sieve, into another large pot.

Throw out the remains and bottle your stock.

Storage: If you won’t be using your stock within 3 days of making it, it can be frozen for 6 months to a year. But I recommend you use frozen stock no later than 8 months.

About The Gracious Pantry

Who me? I'm Tiffany, a cookbook author, food lover, mom and wannabe Elvis when I'm in the shower or driving in my car.

STANDARD DISCLOSURE: In order to support this blog, I may receive compensation or other types of remuneration for talking about products or services and/or providing a link to said products or services from this blog. However, all opinions are my own and I will only endorse those products or services which I truly feel are of value to my readers. I also use affiliate links in some of my posts for companies such as for Amazon.com, eMeals.com or LaptopLunches.com, among others. I can take no responsibility for how those companies do business however.

Comments

Do you freeze your stock in jars? Or are those pictures of stock that has been canned? I am interested in doing this but I don’t have a large family and not sure how long it would take me to get through a batch! Also after frozen, Should I defrost in fridge? Will there be any separation? Thank you!

Omigosh, this is delicious! I keep a gallon resealable bag in the freezer, where I put veggie ends, onion skins, and celery roots & tops. I had bones from one chicken, plus five drumstick bones I’d frozen. After 90 minutes, this is delicious! Can’t wait to strain and refrigerate this stock, and use it in everything!

Try letting the broth sit for about 1/2 – 1 hour to cool before putting in the fridge. Also, it will depend on what you are putting in the pot. If you are putting the skins in, then you should be getting some fat at the top when the liquid is fully cold. If all you are putting in is bones, then that is the gelatin from the bones. Not fat. It’s perfectly normal. When you heat it up, it will liquify.

I have read on several blogs where they reuse their bones up to 3 times just adding more ones to it each time. They use them and refreeze for later, then discard after the 2nd or 3rd time of using them. I have reused mine only twice. I make mine in the crock pot and turn it on high until it boils, leave it like that for 1 hr then turn it down to low and cook until it reduces to my desired strength. I don’t know why I let it boil for an hour, I just feel like I want any raw chicken to get cooked and not sit there on a lower heat for to long where it may or may not be able to grow some bacteria. It makes sense in my brain and gives me peace of mind, so this is how I do it. 😉 Thanks for sharing with us.

To get the greatest benefit, add the packet of ‘innards’ to the bones. There are lots of minerals in those. Also, let the broth simmer VERY slowly for 18-24 hours. This will get more nutrients from the bones and makes a very healthy broth full of flavor. I get at least three meals for me and my husband from one bird, plus all the stock for other uses. Try using homemade stock instead of water to make rice, boil pasta, soups and stews. It makes everything tasty!

I do this with a rotisserie chicken and then use the broth to make the Cauliflower white sauce that is all over the internet. Basically I cook the cauliflower in some of the broth and then puree with my emulsion blender. It is AWESOME. I serve it on spaghetti squash & top with some of the chicken and a few other things I cooked separately like sauteed mushrooms, red onions, borccoli … there are so many options. Great way to use up some leftovers. Such a great lo carb, lo fat meal.

oops – broccoli. I also should have said that as pureeing the cauliflower to keep adding stock till it’s the thickness/thinness you want. I’ve seen posting where others have froze this although the used it within a couple weeks so I have no way of knowing how long it will freeze well.

Alissa – Some people do it, but there is an art to it. I know you can’t fill them all the way or they will crack and break. I would google “how to freeze in glass jars” and see what comes up. I don’t do it, so it’s hard for me to say.

Hi! I just made this and it smells amazing! I didn’t have a pot big enough for 20 cups of water (water about 15 cups)- and what I have left over is quite concentrated. I’ve never made stock before so just wondering what I do now and how to use it 🙂

I just started making my own stock and I love it! I’ve always discarded the veggies, etc. from the pot but was wondering if there was any reason why you couldn’t eat the carrots instead of throwing thm away.

Lisa – You could certainly eat them as long as they haven’t been sitting out at all. Remember they are cooked in chicken broth so all the rules of meat storage apply. I’m just not sure what the flavor would be like.

About

The Gracious Pantry is an ever-growing collection of real food recipes and cooking information. My focus is to further support the real food movement and inspire people to store, prep and cook with real food. Read more about Tiffany...